Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Here's one more recipe suggestion, tried and true and oh so easy, for a Superbowl party. On your way home tonight (game day minus two) pick up a 3-4 lb. beef roast, any kind--bottom round or rump are fine--just get whatever is on sale. Tonight, put the roast in a crockpot with 1/2 cup of water (and nothing else) then mix up the sauce and refrigerate. Tomorrow morning (game day minus one), shred the beef, mix with the sauce, and refrigerate the whole thing overnight to blend the flavors. Game Day, reheat meat and sauce in crockpot for 3-4 hours. Put the crockpot on the coffee table with some tongs, hamburger buns (or the smaller dinner rolls) and desired toppings (if any) of pickles, raw or sauteed onions, sliced tomatoes, and mayonnaise (I like mine "straight up", no garnishes!). Fans can make their own BBQ Beef Sandwiches whenever they feel the urge.

Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

For Beef
3-4 lb. beef roast, any kind, bottom round or rump work well (Last time, because it was on sale,  I used a tri-tip roast)
1/2 cup water (I suspect beer can be substituted, but I haven't tested this)

For Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 T. Worcestershire Sauce
2 T. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 medium onion, finely chopped, and sauteed
1/2 cup water

Place the roast in a crockpot with 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for approx. 10 hours. In another bowl combine all the sauce ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Go to bed. When you get up, remove the meat from the crockpot and shred with a fork, discard any chunks of fat. Combine shredded beef with the sauce. Stir well. Refrigerate meat/sauce mixture, covered, for 24 hours or so. Return shredded meat to crockpot and cook for 3-4 hours on low. Serve on rolls* with sliced pickles, sliced tomatoes and mayonnaise (if desired). Makes approx 16 sandwiches.

*I found mini-hamburger buns at Trader Joe's.  $1.20 for a package of 8..., but at that price, you can buy regular hamburger buns and use a circle cutter to cut them down to the size you want! (The buns were plain, and a bit dry and firm, not nearly special enough to make them worth an extra trip to TJ's, but not bad enough to avoid either!)

Thanks for visiting!

Crockpot Bean Dip for a Crowd

Superbowl Sunday is just on the horizon. For years, I couldn't care less. But somehow or other, I managed to raise a football crazy girl who actually anticipates and then watches football games, playoffs and bowls. So through her I am slowly warming up to the excitement of Superbowl Sunday. Not for the game. Not for the commercials, either. For the snacks!. Just like there are American food traditions around Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day and Valentine's Day, there are also special Game Day foods. Being slow to this football thing, I don't have a huge repertoire of Superbowl recipes yet, but I'll share what I do have. Here's my "go to" recipe for all big parties, my Crockpot Bean Dip. I put the crockpot right on the coffee table, with a ladle and some bowls and chips right next to it.

You can control the flavor and spiciness of this dip by your choice of beans, salsa and cheese. This recipe makes enough for two football teams. If there are leftovers, they freeze and microwave well. I've also combined leftover bean dip with leftover meat and rice, wrapped it in a tortilla and called it a burrito.

Crockpot Bean Dip for a Crowd
2 (16oz.) cans refried beans
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed and then softened in the microwave
2 cups jarred salsa (24 oz. jar)
2 T. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
4 cups grated cheese (I often use the packaged Mexican Blend)
16 oz sour cream

Mix beans, cream cheese, salsa, chili powder and cumin together in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until cream cheese is melted. Gradually stir in grated cheese, stir until melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in sour cream. Pour entire mixture into a crockpot and cook, covered, on high for an hour, then reduce heat to warm to serve. My kids like this on Tostitos Scoops, because you can get a lot of bean dip on your chip.

Thank you for being a fan,
Polly

Bacon Asparagus Rolls

I found this recipe on the Internet this morning. I ran out to buy some asparagus to try it...then hemmed and hawed about posting the link, the recipe, and my pictures. I wasn't sure the recipe was "all that", so I kept tasting and trying to figure it out. Post? Don't post? Bacon and Asparagus? Is that going to be a hit? Is this a GREAT recipe? Taste, think, taste some more, mmm, one more taste, maybe, let me try that again. It slowly dawned on me, I was positively addicted to these. I was guilty of over thinking the post!
This recipe is from Anamaris on her blog "Chef it Yourself".

Bacon Asparagus Rolls

For each roll you'll need:
1 slice of thick bacon (I used applewood smoked)
4 asparagus spears

Trim the bottom of the asparagus spears so all four are of equal length. Peel the lower part of the stem, optional, but no one is going to want to bite into a stringy piece of asparagus--use a potato peeler. Roll, yes, roll (with a rolling pin) the slice of bacon until it is at 50% - 75% longer than it was before you started. Gather the four asparagus spears together. Starting at the tip end, tightly wrap the bacon around all four spears. Season generously with freshly grated black pepper. Place bundle in frying pan. Cook over medium high heat, turning often, until bacon is well browned and crisp, and the asparagus is cooked. (See picture below.) Remove bundle from the pan, and slice into bite-sized pieces.(See picture above) Discard any bottom stems not covered with bacon. Each bundle will result in 3 or 4 bite-sized sushi-like pieces. Serve warm, but good at room temperature, too.

Thanks for being a fan,

Polly

Meatballs-on-Toast

Just what you need for the Superbowl party at the neighbors' house...a yummy, quick and easy appetizer to take with you. You'll need a pound of ground beef, a bit of onion (any kind), soy sauce, a bit of brown sugar a sliced baguette, and nothing else! These are so easy to make that your kids could prepare them while you're in the shower. Meat eaters and teenage boys will fall over themselves getting to the platter. This recipe is from "The 150 Best American Recipes".

Meatballs on Toast

1 sliced baguette (Le Boulanger has the best)
1 lb ground chuck (nothing leaner than 85/15, or this recipe won't work)
1/4 cup regular soy sauce* (don't use low sodium)
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
4 green onions, minced (or similar quantity of sauteed onion or shallot)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix meat, soy sauce, brown sugar and onions together with your hands until the mixture resembles a fine paste. Pinch a piece of the meat mixture and press smoothly onto a baguette slice, smoothing to all edges. Continue making flat meatballs until all the meat mixture has been used up--you'll be able to make about 3 dozen. Bake for 8 or 9 minutes at 450. Serve hot.

Thanks for being a fan,
Polly

*My friend used a couple dashes of Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce in place of the soy sauce. I am going to try that next time.

Polly's Points This is great to have on hand for after school snacks. Keep the meat in a covered container in the refrigerator. Have the bread sliced and in another covered container. The kids can mix up a tray of these meatballs-on-toast for themselves when the get home. I always got an "awwwww mommmmm" from my son when I did this. (His highest words of thanks and appreciation!)